This Day in Baseball History
June 30th

Fred Clarke makes his major league debut, going 5-for-5 for the Louisville Colonels. The future Hall of Famer collects four singles and a triple.

1908

At New York's Hilltop Park, Red Sox legend Cy Young no-hits the Highlanders (Yankees), 8-0. The contest marks the third time the 41 year-old has accomplished the feat.

1909

The Cubs spoil the Pirates' debut at Forbes Field, 3-2. The new state-of-the-art ballpark, named for General John Forbes, who was an officer in the French and Indian War, is the first stadium to be made completely of steel and poured concrete.

1938

The Phillies lose the final game to be played at the Baker Bowl, bowing to the Giants, 14-1. New York center fielder Hank Lieber hits the last homer in the history of the 51 year-old ballpark, which also served as the home of the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles for three seasons (1933-1935).

1948

At Briggs Stadium, Indians right-hander Bob Lemon throws the first American League night time no-hitter, blanking the Tigers, 2-0. The Tigers' home was the last park in the Junior Circuit to use lights, installing illumination only two weeks ago.

1961

Whitey Ford becomes the first pitcher in American League history to win eight games in one month. 'Slick's' complete-game 5-1 victory over the Senators is the Yankees' 22nd win in June.

1962

Due to an unusually thick fog at Colt Stadium, the game against the Reds is called after seven innings, giving the Colt .45’s a 7-3 victory over Cincinnati. The shortened contest allows Houston’s skipper Harry Craft to get to the hospital in time for the birth of his first daughter.

1962

Sandy Koufax becomes the first Dodger southpaw to throw a no-hitter since Nap Rucker accomplished the feat in 1908 when he keeps the expansion Mets hitless in the team's 5-0 victory in Los Angeles. The 26 year-old left-hander, en route to fanning 13, strikes out the first three batters he faces - Richie Ashburn, Rod Kanehl, and Felix Mantilla, on nine pitches to start the game with an immaculate inning.

1967

Cookie Rojas, who joined the Phillies in 1964, plays his ninth different position for the team when he takes the mound in a 12-3 loss to San Francisco. In his ninth inning appearance, the All-Star infielder allows no runs and gives up just one hit, ending the frame by getting future Hall of Famer Willie Mays to fly out to right field in the Connie Mack Stadium contest.

1970

The Braves ruin the debut of Riverfront Stadium, defeating the Reds, 8-2. In the first inning, Hank Aaron hits the park's first home run off Cincinnati's starter Jim McGlothlin.

1973

With an 8-7 extra-inning loss to L.A. at Riverfront Stadium, the Reds finish the day 11 games behind the first-place Dodgers. Led by the eventual National League MVP Pete Rose, who will win the batting title with a .338 average, Cincinnati will go on a 60-26 tear to capture the Western Division by 3.5 games.

1977

At Exhibition Stadium in Toronto, Cliff Johnson joins Joe DiMaggio and Joe Pepitone as the only players in Yankee history to hit two home runs in the same inning. The designated hitter goes deep twice in the eighth as the Bronx Bombers score eight runs in an 11-5 win over the Blue Jays.

1978

Giant first baseman Willie McCovey, on an 0-2 pitch thrown by Jamie Easterly, launches his 500th career home run over the left field fence, becoming the 12th player to accomplish the feat. Stretch's historic homer occurs in the second inning of the opener of a doubleheader, which the Giants sweep from the Braves at Atlanta Fulton County Stadium, 10-9 and 10-5.

1978

Larry Doby replaces Bob Lemon as skipper of the White Sox to become the second black to manage in the majors. Lemon will move on to New York to replace Billy Martin and will pilot the Yankees to a World Championship as Doby will be dismissed from his only managerial stint at the end of the season after posting a 37-50 record with the fifth place Pale Hose.

1983

Lance Junker hits two grand slams in the ninth inning of the Redwood Pioneers' 16-5 victory over the Class-A Padres at Reno’s Moana Stadium. The 23 year-old California League slugger, who comes to bat for the second time in the frame after the catcher drops a two-out pop up in front of home plate, becomes the third professional player to accomplish the feat, joining Ken Myers (1947- Las Vegas/Sunset League) and Armando Flores (1952 - Laredo Apaches/Gulf Coast League).

1985

Pedro Guerrero ties a major league record by hitting 15 home runs in June when he goes deep off Bruce Sutter in his final at bat of the month. The eighth inning two-run round-tripper will prove to be the difference in the Dodgers' 4-3 victory over Atlanta at Chavez Ravine.

1986

In front of 7,026 enthusiastic fans at Tim McCarver Stadium in Memphis, Auburn outstanding football star Bo Jackson makes his pro baseball debut, singling and driving in a run in his first at-bat in the Chicks' 9-5 loss to Columbus (GA) in a Southern League game. The 1985 Heisman Trophy winner, who batted seventh as the designated hitter, will finish the night 1-for-4.

1988

On the last day of the Illinois State Legislation session, Governor James Thompson, fiercely lobbying his lawmakers to approve a bill for a new Chicago ballpark that will keep the White Sox from moving to Florida, finds himself six votes shy at five minutes to midnight, the deadline the bill would die. Floridians, following the political drama unfold on TV, are shocked when, after appearing assured the Sunshine State would get its first major league baseball team, the stroke of midnight is delayed by three minutes, long enough to secure the 60th vote needed for the approval of a $150 million ballpark, thus keeping the Sox in the Windy City.

1995

At the Metrodome, Indians' designated hitter Eddie Murray collects his 3000th hit off Twins' right-hander Mike Trombley to become the 20th player to accomplish the feat. 'Steady Eddie' joins Pete Rose as only the second switch-hitter to reach the milestone.

1997

Rangers' hurler Bobby Witt becomes the first American League pitcher to hit a home run in a regular-season game in nearly 25 years. His round tripper off Ismael Valdes helps Texas to beat the Dodgers in interleague action, 3-2.

1998

With an eighth-inning homer against the Diamondbacks, Cubs' slugger Sammy Sosa extends his major league record for home runs in a month, hitting his 20th round-tripper in June. At the start of July, the Chicago outfielder's season total is 31, four less than Mark McGwire, who also homered today.

2000

Trailing 8-2 with two outs in the eighth-inning, Mike Piazza's tie-breaking three-run homer completes a 10-run miracle comeback as the Mets stun the Braves, 11-8. Nine of the runs were driven in with two outs and the ten runs equal the most ever scored in an inning by the Mets.

2001

In his hometown of Waterbury, Connecticut, Roger Connor is honored with a four-foot-high marble monument at St. Joseph's Cemetery. The gravestone, which also includes the names of his wife and grandson, notes that the one-time all-time home run leader is a member of baseball's Hall of Fame.

2002

The Yankees become the first team in the American League since the 1956 White Sox to have four infielders and a catcher on the All-Star roster. The fans vote for first baseman Jason Giambi, second baseman Alfonso Soriano and backstop Jorge Posada to be starters in the Midsummer Classic with shortstop Derek Jeter and third baseman Robin Ventura being selected by AL skipper Joe Torre.

2004

For the third straight game, the Tigers win thanks to a walk-off home run. Following the lead of teammates Eric Munson and Carlos Pena in the two previous games, Dmitri Young hits a two-run dinger in the 11th inning to beat the Indians, 9-7.

2005

After loading the bases in the top of the ninth, Chad Cordero gets Ryan Doumit to fly out to deep right field to record his 15th save in June, tying the Nationals closer with Lee Smith and John Wetteland for the most ever recorded in a single month. Washington's 7-5 victory over Pittsburgh at RFK Stadium puts the first place team 4.5 games ahead of Atlanta.

2006

In the fastest game ever played in the seven-year history of Seattle's Safeco Field, the hometown Mariners are defeated by Colorado, 2-0. Colorado starter Josh Fogg faces the minimum 27 batters, tossing a two hitter in the one-hour, 52 minutes contest, also the quickest in Rockies' history.

2006

The Reds' 47th homer, which establishes a club for the month of June, is a game-ending grand slam hit by Adam Dunn. The dramatic dinger, given up by closer Bob Wickman with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, powers Cincinnati over Cleveland, 9-8

2006

In a 5-2 loss to the Marlins, which stops their winning streak at 11, the Red Sox play their 17th consecutive errorless game. The accomplishment establishes a new big league mark, surpassing the Cardinals, who played 16 straight error-free games in 1992.

2007

Jacoby Ellsbury, making his debut starting in centerfield at Fenway Park, becomes the first person from the Navajo tribe to play in the major leagues. The 23 year-old member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, who will play a significant role in the Red Sox World Championship, batting .360 in 11 total postseason games, is put out by the catcher unassisted in his first big league at-bat.

2007

In a pre-game ceremony on Disability Awareness Night, the Fenway faithful show their support for the cause when they assist a young man with autism. The enthusiastic Red Sox crowd of 38,000 fans continues singing the national anthem when the nervous singer has trouble getting through the song.

A pair of demolition companies, which agree to work free of charge in exchange for the scrap-metal, begin knocking down Tiger Stadium, starting with bleachers in left-center field. The 96 year-old ballpark has been vacant since the Tigers started playing in nearby Comerica Park nearly nine summers ago.

2012

In the Padres' 8-4 victory over Colorado, Yasmani Grandal becomes the first player to homer from both sides of the plate for his first two major league hits. The San Diego catcher, who had one at-bat in his debut four weeks ago against Arizona, flew out in the second inning before connecting for his historic homers in the fourth and sixth frames of the Coors Field contest.

2013

On the day of Seattle's 39th annual Pride Parade, the Mariners become the first major league team to fly a rainbow gay pride flag. The move comes a few days after the Supreme Court's landmark decision declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.

2014

Joining Alan Trammel, who is at the ballpark as part of the team's celebration of the 30th anniversary of its 1984 World Championship, Rajai Davis becomes just the second Tigers player since World War II to hit a game-ending grand slam with his team trailing by three runs in the bottom of the ninth. The 33 year-old outfielder goes deep off Oakland's Sean Doolittle, who hangs a curve ball that gives Detroit the dramatic 5-4 victory in front of a sold-out Comerica Park.